Table mat



APatented May'4, 1926.

UNITED STATES ROBERT w. GREEN-BERG, or NEW YORK, N. `Y.

TABLE MAT.

Application filed April 21, 1924. serial No. 707,826.

To all whom it may zo/noem.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT W. GREnN- BERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Table Mats, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to table mats, and consists in the matters hereinafter described and claimed. y

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a pers ective view of a mat constructed in accor ance with my invention;

Fig.v 2 is a side view of the mat when folded;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal seci tional view through the mat to show its interior structure;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing the hinge connection between the foldable sections;

Figs. 5 and 6 'are-fragmentary top plan views of the perforated pads or layers. em-` bodied in the inside structure;

Fig. 7 is a`view showing how these pads are arranged one on the other; and

Fig. 8 is an enlar ed vertical sectional View showing how t e ',dead air cells are provided.

As shown in the drawings, the mat is made insections. `Each section has top and bottom outside layers or covers 10, 10, preferably of oil-cloth orother Water-proof material having a washable outer surface. Between the covers 10, 10 are layers or pads 11, 12 of flexible, heat insulating material, as felt wool paper. Interposed between the covers 10 and pads 11, 12 are backing sheets 13, 13 of cardboard or asbestos to give the desired stiffness to the mat as a whole. The superposed layers of each section are coextensive so that their margins register.

In Figs. 1 to 3, the sectlons are marked 14, 15, and 16 and are hinged together along vtheir adjoining edges for folding. the mat into a compact form with one section overlapping the otller when the mat is not in use, as shown in Fi 2. The top backing sheet 13 of the midd e section 15 is hinged to the top backing sheet 13 of the end section 16 by a strip 17 of stout flexible material secured to both of said sheets and extending across the joint between them. The bottom backing sheet 13 of said middle section 1b is connected by a similar strip 17 to the bottom backing sheet 13 of the other end section 14. The adjoining edges or' the sections are covered or enclosed by marginal portions 10a o f the covers 1() extended over them, andl in these portions 10a are perforations 10b in the planes of the pads 11 and 12, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The cover parts 10a are adhered or otherwise secured to the edges of the pads and sheets.

The entire outer edge of the mat is en closed or bound with a tape 18, the ymargins of which are folded over upon the margins of the covers 10 and aresecured thereto by stitches 19 which pass through said tape and all the layers of the mat, as shown in Fig. 3. The tape 18 has perforations 18a in the planes of the pads. at the hinged edges of the sections 14 to 16 to permit folding of the mat. The tape. 18 surrounds three edges of the end sections 14 and 16, while it covers only two edges of the mid-section 15. The two hinged edges of the latter section andthe hinged edges of the end sections are bound or covered by the cover portions 10a, as shown. These portions, together with the tape 18, form an edge binding for each section.

The pad 11 is provided with spaced rows of openings 20, alternated by rows of smaller openings 21 with perfor-ations 22 grouped in the portions of the pads between the openings 20, 21, as shown in Fig. 5. The other pad 12 has spaced rows of openings 23, between which are rows of erforations 24 extending in the same direction as the rows of o-penings 23.

The pads 11 and 12 are placed one on the other with the holes 20 and 21 of the pad 11- overlapping the holes 23 in the pad 12, as shown in Fig. 7, so that said holes o1' openings communicate with cach other adjacent their edges to provide tortuous passages through the pads. The openings 20, 21, and 23 at the edges of the pads intersect such edges for air circulation from the outer edges of the mat. The perforations or apertures 18a in the tape register with the openings at the edges of the pads to allow for free circulation of outside air through the inner structure of' the mat to carry oil' heat and moisture imparted thereto when placed under a hot or other dish or like article. The perforations 10b at the adjoining edges of the sections 14 to 16 register when the mat is laid out flat for use and communicate the air-circulating openings of the sections with eacll other, as shown in F igs.l 3 and 4.

Said tape is' cut Fig. 7 shows thateach opening 23 Within the margins of the pad 12 is overlapped by i'our openings in pad 1l, two large openings 20 and two smaller openings 21, these having quarter spacing around the opening 23. This provides for cross-circulation through the pads, thus allowino' circulation from one section to another wlien the mat is in use. The perforations 22 of the pad 11 are closed at one end by the backing sheet 13 on said pad. The perforations 24 of the pad 12 are likewise closed by the backing sheet 13 under said pad. Some of the perforations 22 are closed at their inner ends by the unperforated parts of the pad 12, While some of said perforations 22 register with perforations 24, as shown in Fig. 8. These perforations being closed by parts of the matl form dead air chambers and thus give the mat heat non-conducting properties at said cells. If desired, the perforations 18a in the tape may be eyeleted.

Heat and moisture imparted to the mat by hot dishes or the like placed thereon are carried off by the free circulation otl air allowed through the inner structure of the mat. This, coupled with the insulation atl'orded by the pads 11 and 12 and the dead air cells 22, 24, protects the inish of the table top. While I have shown the mat shaped for rectangular table tops, it isof course to be understood that a round,oval, or other shaped mat may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. ,More-d over, Whether of a size to cover the entire table top as shown or of a size for a single dish, the details of structure shown and described may be changed and modied Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A table mat, comprising superpose-d layers of sheet material secured together, the inner layers having openings distributed over the same and arranged with the openings in one inner layer overlapping the openings in an adjacent inner layer and with the openings at the edges of said layers intersecting said fddges for air [circulation through the mat from its outer edges.

2. A table mat, comprising superposed layers of sheet material secured together, the inner layers having openings distributed over the saine and arranged with the openings in one inner layer overlapping the openings in an adjacent inner layer and With the openings at the edges ot' said layers intersecting said'edges, and a binding tape secured around the edges of the mat and having perforations registering with the openings intersecting the edges of said inner layers for air circulation through the mat from its outer edges.

3. A table mat, comprising superposed layers of sheet material secured together, one inner layer having alternated roWs of large and small openings and the adjacent inner layers having rows of vsubstantially uniform openings, each of the latter openings Within the margins of its layer being overlapped by two large and two small openings of the first mentioned inner layer With the openings in both inner layers at the edges thereof intersect-ing said edges for air circulation through the mat from its outer edges. l

4. A table mat, comprising superposed layers of sheet material secured together, the inner layers having openings distributed over the saine and arranged with the openings in one inner layer overlapping the openings in an adjacent inner layer and with the openings at the edges of said layers intersecting said edges for air circulation through the mat from the outer edges, said inner layers having perforations in their portions between their openings With the perforations closed by the layers on opposite sides of the inner layers to form dead air cells in the mat.

5. A table mat, comprising a plurality of hinged together` sections for folding one on the other, each section having superposed layers of sheet material secured together, the inner layers in each section having overlapping openings distributed over the same with the openings at the edges of the inner layers intersecting said edges, a binding tape around the outer edges of each section and having apertures registering with the openings intersecting the edges of the inner layers, and one of the covering layers of each section having marginal portions over the hinged edges of the sections, said marginal portions having perforations registering when the sections are folded out Hat to provide communication for air circulation between the sections at their hinged edges.

6. A table mat, comprising superposedV inner pad members of heat insulating material, said pad members having overlapping openings for air circulation from the outer edges of the mat and also having dead air cells, backing sheets on opposite sides of the pad members and extending over said openings and cells, covering layers on opposite sides of said sheets, and a binding tape around the edges of the mat and sewed to the layers thereof, said tapel having perfora tions in register with the openings at the edges of said pad members for air circulation through the mat.

In testimony that I 'claim the foregoing as my invention, I afiix my signature this 15th day of April, 1924.

ROBERT W. GREENBERG. 

